JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown used to be a fantastic duo for the Pittsburgh Steelers' passing attack during the two seasons they were together. But that terrifying tandem downfield could have had lasted longer if only the two saw each other eye to eye.
Smith-Schuster and Brown famously feuded during the latter's last season in Pittsburgh back in 2019, with each trading shots at each other on social media. Brown also got into it with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Ultimately, Brown was traded by the Steelers to the Oakland Raiders.
Looking back at his relationship with Brown in Pittsburgh, Smith-Schuster believed that the crux of his disconnect with Brown was the fact that they had to share the limelight. Smith-Schuster was the rapidly rising young star in Pittsburgh, while Brown was the proven veteran who was just not ready to accept being second in the pecking order. In a recent interview with Fox News, Smith-Schuster, who was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, tried to paint a clearer picture of how things turned out between him and Brown.
“I think for the most part just being able to share the spotlight was probably the biggest thing,” Smith-Schuster told Fox News on Monday. “If we could have done that, I think we would have been a very dominant duo. But it was something that he couldn’t do, and it is what it is. At the end of the day, life goes on and we move on from that, but I wish him the best. He won a Super Bowl, and that’s crazy.”
It's a narrative as old as the sport itself. A lot of times, two talented players just couldn't be on the same page and jive together for the sake of the team.
The good thing is that both seem to have moved on now, with the Steelers wide receiver even recognizing the success Brown had with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
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